Her New Beginning
by CrunchitizeMeCap'n
Summary: Olivia Diamond's mother has just gone to jail. What will happen when her big brother and his best friends take her under their wings? Will they influence her in a positive way.. Or will things take a turn for the worst? Bad summary, first fanfic!
1. Prologue

**-Prologue- **

I sighed, pulling back the curtains again and staring into the darkness. Nothing. Just a long stretch of road that was lit by several streetlamps. I slouched into the beige leather couch and tried to pay attention to _Jay Leno _on TV. It was no use waiting for her anymore. She was going to continue to get drunk. She was going to continue to be abusive and there was nothing I could do anymore.

The low volume on the TV and the pitter patter of the rain outside had almost lulled me to sleep until there was a deafening knock at the front door. I jolted awake, panicking as the TV remote flew out of my hand. I looked out the window to see red and blue flashing lights. Oh no. Nearly tripping over the coffee table, I stumbled to the door. Standing on my doorstep were two police officers, and I knew instantly that my mom had been caught.

"Young lady, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us," one of the officers said, his tone deep.

"Why, what's going on?" I protested as they tried hurrying me out of the house.

"Is your mother Amber Diamond?" The other officer asked.

"Yes, but-"

"We have her in custody at the moment and we're going to have to arrange different living situations for you. This environment is no longer safe for a young girl like you," he continued.

I felt the tears sting in my eyes as I dreaded the words he would say next.

"Your mom is going to jail."


	2. Chapter One

**-Chapter One-**

I sat in the interrogation room, continuing to chant to myself in my head. _Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._ I felt a bit awkward sitting in a dark room alone with a 35 year old man while I only wore my pajamas - which happened to be just shorts and a tank top. Weird.

"So, how long have you known about your mom's problem?" the officer asked, piles of papers on the table in front of him.

"I'd say about four months," I replied, picking at the chipped nailpolish on my fingernails.

The officer nodded. "And do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah. I have a brother who lives in Los Angeles with his friends,"

The officer continued to write things down on his mound of papers. "And does he know about your mom-"

"No," I interrupted. "He left for LA two and a half months before she started drinking."

"Why haven't you told him?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Didn't need to," I lied, considering my mother beat me every time she wasn't out at a club, or passed out on the couch.

"Mmmm," the officer mumbled, scribbling more words onto the paper. "Well, I'm going to give you some privacy for a bit. I'd like you to fill out these papers & I'll be back to collect them in a bit," he said, pushing a clipboard with a couple papers clipped to it my way.

I stared down at the papers as I felt my phone weighing more and more in my pocket. I knew I needed to call James, but I was afraid. I knew that he would yell. I knew that he would scold. I knew that he may never talk to me again. I had to do it, though.

I pulled the phone out of my pocket slowly, hesitating every time I pressed a different number. It began to ring, and I thought my stomach was going to fall out of my butt when I heard my brothers voice after the fourth ring.

"Hello?" he answered, sounding so calm and collected. Not for long.

"James," I started, hesitating yet again. "James, mom is in jail."

Silence. Nothing but silence until he burst.

"WHAT?" he bellowed, nearly shattering my eardrum. "What the HELL happened? Why, and wha-"

"She had a drinking problem!" I screamed.

"What?" James repeated. "How _long_ has this been going on, Olivia? Why hadn't you told me?"

"Two months." I said quietly. "Two months after you left. She beat me, James. So bad."

I heard him sigh as he tried to calm down. "I can NOT believe you, Olivia Leeann Diamond. You could've gotten yourself _killed._" his tone was cold as the tears started to spill down my cheeks.

"I know."

"And you're coming out here to live with us; I don't fucking care what you or anyone else has to say about it. I'm never letting you out of my sight," James was extremely angry, but I guess I couldn't blame him.

"They're making me, anyway. I don't have a choice," I told him inbetween sobs.

"Good," he said, then his tone softened. "But Liv, listen to me. I love you. You need to stay calm until morning, alright? I'm almost positive that you'll be out of there tomorrow,"

"I'll try," I agreed, fighting back more tears.

"I'll see you soon, baby sister," James said before hanging up.

I slammed my phone onto the table and just cried.

* * *

**So? What do you guys think? Too drama filled? I'm very insecure about this stuff, just for the heads up. & I promise it will get better in future chapters. If you review, i'll give you a cookie! **

**-Natalie**


	3. Chapter Two

-Chapter Two-

The police had me on a plane and out of Minnesota by 9:30 the next morning.

I guess James was right. I leaned back into the seat and closed my eyes, trying to think about Los Angeles. James, Kendall, Logan, Carlos, & Mrs. Knight would be at the airport to pick me up in about three hours from now.

I wondered what life in LA would be like.

I had to admit, I didn't know much about James' friends. They never hung out at our house. Every once in a while, I would tag along if they went out to the take to play hockey, or to grab lunch & a movie - but I think it was only because James felt bad for me. I was never a very social person. I was kind of shy, and didn't have very many friends. My best friend died in a plane crash when we were fourteen, so I never dared to get close to another person.

My brother was all I've really had for the past two years, so that's why I think he was so angry that I didn't tell him about our mom. We're very close, and I know it would kill him if anything bad ever happened to me.

* * *

Who knew airplane rides could be so.. soothing? My thoughts and the soft motor of the airplane MUST have put me in somewhat of a deep sleep because it took two flight attendants to wake me up.

"Miss, it's time for you to get off of the plane now," one of the attendants said softly, smiling down at me. I blushed slightly and looked around, realizing I was the only one left on the plane.

"Right," I laughed a bit as I grabbed my carry-ons and walked down the heavy metal airplane steps.

The first thing I noticed were the palm trees. I was SO excited! I made a mental note to myself to ask James to get a picture of me next to one, once I met up with him and his friends.

Stepping into the huge building, I immediately felt claustrophobic. There had to be at LEAST 5,000 people running back and forth to their family and friends, booking flights, etc. It _was_ L.A.X after all. I felt like I had entered a whole new world. I had no idea where I was gonna find my brother. Heck, I didn't even know where the front entrance was. People stared at me while I scanned the crowd over and over. Just as I thought I spotted James, I was mistaken because soon after I was picked up from behind and lifted at least three feet in the air.

"It's Super Livvi!" James yelled, twirling me around and earning stares from surrounding people.

"Jaaaaaaaames!" I screeched. "Put me down!"

He obeyed, laughing. I couldn't do anything but smile and wrap my arms around him. Six months without your brother and living with an abusive and drunken parent can do weird things to a person, lemme tell ya.

"So I see you made it here alright," he said, stating the obvious. I nodded, pushing my bangs away from my eyes. "You remember my friends - who are also my bandmates now - don't you? Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and that lovely lady is Kendall's mother. Guys, this is Olivia."

"A little bit," I replied, giving a small wave. The boys smiled in return while Carlos slapped a black hockey helmet onto his head. Now _that_ I remember. He wore that thing everywhere, probably even in the shower. "But now that we've said our hellos and goodies, can we please get out of here? There's WAY too many people, and you know how I get, James."

James just chuckled.

"Of course," Mrs. Knight replied.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank you. Let me just go get my luggage real fa-"

"Way ahead of you, lil' sis," James said, handing me my enormous pink suitcase.

"Thanks, but how did you...?" I asked, grabbing the handle.

"The bright pink and the sock monkey hanging off of the handle gave it away. Plus your name was on the tag," he said. Kendall, Logan & Carlos snickered as I blushed deeply.

"Why do you insist on embarrassing me?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm your brother," James smiled. "It's my job."


	4. Chapter Three

**Hi guys! So. I'm very sorry I haven't gotten to update in two or three days. I was on vacation with my bestest friend riding rollercoasters. Yay. :D. Anyway, i'm back now, and even though i'm SUPER exhausted; i'm still planning on writing bunches more tonight. Hhhaha, k. Well. I want to thank the four people for reviewing so far. And uhm, yeah! I think that's about it so far. This chapter's pretty lame, but i needed to get one up. I promise there will be some drama, secrets, and MAYBE a hookup or two. O: I've said enough. ! Okay i'm done, go read. BYELOVEYOU. :D**

* * *

**-Chapter Three-**

James sat up front in the van on purpose, I just knew it. I sat inbetween Kendall and Logan while Carlos rolled around in the trunk area, screaming like he was in some sort of motion simulator.

"Carlos, what are you doing?" Kendall finally asked, turning around to look at his friend.

Carlos opened his eyes and smiled. "I'm pretending to be on a mine coaster ride," he replied. "It's fun. You should try it sometime."

I covered my mouth in attempt to keep from breaking out in a fit of giggles as I wondered how he said that in such a serious tone. Kendall seemed to be quite hysterical about himself. After a while, we just burst out in laughter as Carlos continued to roll around.

"Does he do this all the time?" I questioned inbetween giggles.

Kendall nodded. "Oh yeah. This is a perfect example of a classic Carlos."

"I guess I don't remember him being this.. quirky," I laughed.

"Yeah. LA has brought out the wild side in him. And after being with our manager for six months, he isn't afraid of anything anymore. None of us really are," he boasted.

"Oh," I nodded, clearly confused. Yes, I knew that the boys were in a band, and occasionally James would talk about his manager; but most of the time he just wanted to know what was going on in my life. I'll be honest, it got annoying very easily.

"Gustavo Rocque is our manager," Kendall explained. "He's a very large man who yells quite a bit and calls us his dogs,"

"And occasionally his _monkey_dogs," Logan pointed out. I jumped, having forgotten he was sitting right next to me. It was about time he joined the conversation.

"Yeah, Liv. You remember that time I told you about how the guys and I house-sat Gustavo's mansion and nearly destroyed it," James said, turning to face us.

"Oh yeah!" I laughed at the memory. "That was a great story,"

The boys chuckled and nodded in agreement as we turned into an apartment complex parkinglot.

"Whoa," I breathed. "This is _amazing. _You guys live in here?"

"Yep. This entire building. It's all ours," James joked.

I rolled my eyes. "Ha, ha, ha. _Very _funny, Mr. Sarcastic,"

"Oh, you love me."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

Kendall snickered. "Awe, sibling love."

"Sure, that's what it is," I teased.

* * *

I leaned up against the wall of the elevator, gripping the handrails with all my might. We had already gone through the most GORGEOUS lobby I've ever been in, -_Way _better than any lobby I've seen in any hotel, by far- and we were now in my least favorite part of any hotel, apartment, whatever.

"Relax, Olivia. Your hands are turning completely white," James said, noticing my death grip.

"Shut up," I muttered.

Two floors or two _hundred _floors, elevators have never been my favorite thing. Never will be.

"I take it you don't like elevators," Logan stated.

"Well THANK you, Captain Obvious!" I snapped.

Logan looked taken aback at my remark. "Wow. She's mean when she's scared," he whispered to James.

The elevator dinged and I pretty much crawled out, kissing the ground as I crawled to the boys' apartment. The door opened and all four boys stepped over me as I made an attempt to stand up. My jaw dropped, as well as the suitcase I was carrying at the sight of the first item I noticed.

The swirly slide.


	5. Chapter Four

**-Chapter Four-**

Holy effin' paradise.

I managed to look away from the swirly slide for a few minutes to admire the rest of the boys' apartment. The bright orange couch, the plasma screen TV, the dome hockey, and most importantly, the swirly slide. Did every apartment in this building have a _swirly slide?_

"You guys do _not_ live here?" I exclaimed, still looking around.

"We don't?" Carlos asked. "So we've been coming to the wrong apartment for the past six months?" I really hoped he wasn't serious.

"Carlos, it's a figure of speech," Logan said. I nodded in agreement.

"Right. I knew that," Carlos assured us.

"Of _course_ you did, buddy," Logan replied, patting his friend on the back. I was starting to think that Carlos definitely wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

James came in from a separate room, joining the four of us on the couch.

"I just put your suitcase in my room, but I'm not too sure what sleeping arrangements are going to be. For now you can take my bed, and I'll just sleep out here," he explained.

I rolled my eyes. He was so.. big brotherly.

"You don't have to do that, James," I said.

"Yep. Actually I do," he smiled.

I rolled my eyes again. "Fine."

We sat in silence for about two minutes until Logan decided to speak up.

"So. What do you guys wanna do? I mean, we could continue to sit here on this couch all day, but that's not exactly.. exciting," he said.

"Well. I _believe_ I spotted a pool on our way through the lobby," I hinted, smiling.

Kendall jumped up. "We could go swimming!" he exclaimed.

"Very good, Kendall! Would you like a cookie now?" I teased.

He laughed. "Nawh, I'm good."

"Good. Because I don't have one," I said, standing up. "But last one to the pool's a rotten egg!"

The boys and I zoomed in all different directions, in fear of becoming a rotten egg.

* * *

My suitcase had basically thrown up all over James' bed before I finally found my bathing suit; which of course was buried on the bottom.

"Figures," I mumbled to myself as I changed into my bathing suit, tripping over my own feet in attempt to get the bottoms on. I hit the ground with an obnoxious thud.

"Liv? You alright in there?" James asked from outside the door.

"I'm fantastic," I called, regaining my balance. I threw my enormous purple towel around me, and walked out of the room. All four boys stood there, shirts off and towels around their shoulders.

"I thought we were racing to the pool," I recalled.

Logan shrugged. "We wanted to wait for you," he said sincerely.

I smiled. "Awe. Well isn't that sweet,"

He smiled as well. "Well. I try my hardest," he said.

I giggled as James put his hands on my shoulders as he tried leading me out the door. "No flirting with my sister," he warned.

I really hoped _he_ wasn't serious either.

* * *

**LameLameLameLame. D: I'm having a bit of a writers block. I can tell you this much though, there will be a couple of secrets spilled in the next chapter. :D. A story is no good without drama, right? I enjoy your feedback.. so, ReviewReviewReview! :)**

**-Natalie **


	6. Chapter Five

**-Chapter Five- **

"CANNONBALL!" Carlos shrieked, the moment we stepped onto the pool deck.

I laughed, once again amazed by his sense of humor. "He doesn't waste any time for _anything,_ does he?" I questioned.

"Not a chance," Kendall agreed.

I smiled, unwrapping my towel and throwing it onto a lounge chair. Slipping off my flipflops, I sat by the edge of the pool, dangling my feet in the water. Logan joined me soon after, clearly ignoring the remark that James had made before leaving the apartment. I don't think Logan really cared much; and to be honest, I didn't either. I think I kinda liked him.

"What do you think of the Palmwoods so far?" he asked, starting conversation. Thank God for that. I was an AWFUL conversation starter.

"It's pretty amazing," I replied, splashing the water slightly. "I have to say, I do feel a little awkward here though."

"Why's that?" He questioned.

"Well, the Palmwoods is home of the _future_ famous, correct?"

Logan nodded.

"Yeah. I'm not famous, or planning on becoming famous anytime soon. I don't really do much, considering my mom.. well, you know. Plus, living in an apartment with four boys who happen to be great singers is kind of a downer for me," I admitted.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. I mean, Kendall's little sister isn't famous, either. She had one tiny commercial part, but nothing huge and fancy. Besides, I'm sure you can at least _sing, _right?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I guess a little bit. But what does that prove?"

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure," Logan admitted. "But don't go away from this feeling like you're a 'nobody' here. Because to me and the rest of the guys, you're definitely somebody. You're here so we can turn your life around. In a good way, that is."

I blushed slightly, looking down at my reflection in the water & feeling butterflies inside of my stomach. "Thanks, Logan. You definitely know how to make a person feel better.

"So I've been told," he smiled.

I don't know what it was, but I was starting to feel something. Whether it was bad or good, I wasn't too sure. I never knew what my gut was telling me these days.

But I really hoped it was something good.

* * *

"Who's up for a chicken fight?" Carlos yelled across the pool after we had finally all gotten in and used to the water.

"How do you have a chicken fight with five people, Carlos?" Kendall wondered.

"I'll sit out!" I volunteered. I've had some pretty.. interesting experiences playing Chicken.

"No!" Carlos, Logan, and Kendall chorused. James just rolled his eyes. Most of my Chicken injuries were _his_ fault, anyway.

"One of you three have to sit out," James instructed. "Because she's not getting on your shoulders,"

"James!" I yelled in a whisper tone.

Logan sighed sadly. "I'll do it,"

My face fell in disappointment, as if it weren't obvious enough that I wanted him to play, too. Of course I didn't want the other guys to know, _especially _James. But after the conversation that Logan and I had, it was hard to explain my feelings. He was definitely someone I was going to be able to be good friends with.. maybe more.

"Fine, then," James looked satisfied. He knew about mine and Logan's little chat.

"No fair," I mumbled, glaring at my brother. It was times like these I had a younger sister.

"As weird as it is, Carlos, get on Kendall's shoulders. Liv, I'll go underwater & you get on mine," James said.

"Can't I just drown you instead?" I asked, my tone cold. I saw Logan chuckling quietly to himself out of the corner of my eye, which made me smile.

James rolled his eyes and scowled. "Just get on," he demanded.

"Yes, your highness," I snapped, hoisting myself onto my brothers shoulders. As he rose to the surface, I almost fell off, nearly hitting my head on the ledge of the pool. "James, don't drop me!"

"Sorry," he said sincerely.

"Let's do this thing!" Carlos exclaimed, slapping the helmet on his head.

I laughed slightly, locking my fingers with Carlos' struggling to push him off of Kendall's shoulders. I had almost gotten him into the water, when Kendall decided to ruin my victory.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He exclaimed. "Liv, your wrist is bleeding."

* * *

**THE DRAMA IS COMING! :D. Now that i've gotten it into the story, it'll be easier for me to write. So expect more & more chapters up soon!**

**-Natalie**


	7. Chapter Six

-Chapter Six-

Apparently, one of the many scabs on my wrist had been scratched off in an attempt to get on my brother's shoulders. And the minute I saw the tiny drops of blood trickle down my arm, I knew I was busted.

"It's- They're just scratches. I fell out of a tree," I lied, releasing my grip from Carlos' and splashing into the water. I grabbed the towel off of the chair and pressed it against the slight wound.

"It sure doesn't look like 'just a scratch,'" Carlos noted, his tone was dead serious.

"Olivia," James said. I hated when he used my full name. "What is going on. And I want the truth. Now."

Logan had come to join his friends who were sitting in a circle around me, waiting for me to say something. I said nothing, but let the tears fill my eyes as I began to reminisce about the past, flashbacks playing over and over in my head.

_

* * *

__I sat in my room, the lighting making my room glow, the thunder rattling books and accessories on my shelves. Mom had brought home a different man. The sixth one this week, I might add. They seemed okay when they arrived, but after hearing an excessive amount of cussing, yelling, and the shattering of many household items, I knew something was wrong. _

_Opening my door a crack, I saw the man holding my mother by her neck as she thrashed in his grip, trying to free herself. The man was noticeably drunk, and obviously so was my mom. But never before have I seen this happen to her. _

"_Let go of me!" She screamed in pain. The way she screamed made chills go down my spine. I couldn't help but worry about her._

"_You are a dirty little whore. And you're going to give me what I want," the man demanded as he began to strip her of her clothes. _

_My mom thrashed some more, and I knew I had to do something fast, whether she liked it or not. "Let go of my mother, NOW!" I screeched, running into the living room and kicking the man down. He hunched over in pain, grabbing his area as I held onto my mom. _

"_You need to stay out of this, little girl," mom warned, her words slurred. _

"_But mom! You're going to get hurt!" I protested._

"_Leave, Olivia," she demanded as the man stood back up. _

"_Mom! You can't-" _

"_I SAID STAY OUT OF IT!" Mom bellowed, her right hand flying up and striking me. I fell into the couch, extremely astounded by what happened. She had never laid a hand on me. Ever. She had come home drunk almost every night, but she never hit me. _

_I stood up, clutching my left cheek in pain, and ran down the hallway. Instead of running back to my room, I ran into our bathroom, slammed the door shut & locked it up tight. Crawling into the bathtub, I sank right in and let the tears stream down my cheeks. I stayed like that for a good fifteen minutes until the power went out. Stupid storm. I gripped the side of the tub in attempt to help me stand when my hand ran over my razor. My heart started pounding as thoughts swam through my mind. Sitting back in the tub, I ran my fingers softly over the blade before pressing it down hard to my wrist. _

"_You made me do this, Mom. Just look at me now," I mumbled to the ceiling. The first cut sent a shooting pain through my arm, but I didn't care. I spent the rest of the night practically bathing in my own tears and blood. _

* * *

And with that, the tears began to fall. I shot up out of my seat, still not saying a word as I ran towards the apartment. I knew what I needed to do.


	8. Chapter Seven

**-Chapter Seven-**

The apartment was unlocked, but there was no one inside. Thank God for that. I didn't need anyone else seeing me like this. I especially didn't want anyone to know what I was about to do. Unfortunately, I think I had made it pretty clear with what I was about to do down at the pool. The boys would be up here any second, so I needed to do this fast.

I raced through the apartment in search of the bathroom. Speeding down through the hallway, I located it on the right-hand side. Stepping on the cold, tiled floor, I began to calm down as I shut the door and locked it up. I tore apart the medicine cabinet in search of what I needed to release all of my anger and sadness. I had finally spotted the shiny silver of someone's razor when the pounding on the door began.

"Oliviiiaaaaaa!" James screamed, fear flooding his voice. "Come out of there, PLEASE?"

I slid down the wall underneath the window, the razor gripped tight in my hand. I shivered as I pressed the cold metal to my wrist.

"Don't do this!" Kendall was the next to speak. His voice was shaky, as if he was about to burst into tears. Yeah, right.

The razor went deeper and deeper into my skin, but I couldn't bring myself to slide it across my skin.

"Liv, please! We haven't even gotten to go down the swirly slide, yet," Carlos spoke, and a small smile spread across my lips at his wittiness.

I sat in the same position, my legs pulled to my chest, my arm resting on my knee. The razor had still gotten nowhere, and all I wanted to do was listen to the final boy speak.

"Olivia, please," Logan's soft voice was finally heard. "Remember the talk we had."

And that was all I needed to hear. The tears spilled down my cheeks like a downpour, and the razor fell out of my hand, making a 'clank' as it fell to the ground. I couldn't do this again. I couldn't go back to this place. I was finally getting a chance to start my life over, and here I was, trying to ruin it on the first day. I sighed, and cleared my voice to speak.

"I'll come out.." I started, and heard all four boys sigh in relief. "..If you let me talk to Logan first."

There was silence outside of the door, and I knew James was hesitating. He needed to just trust me, and lay off the over-protectiveness. After all, he was my big brother. Not my dad.

"Please just get her out of there," James told Logan. "She's my little sister, and this isn't exactly what I pictured living with her would be like. I'm trusting you, Logan."

"Relax. I've got it covered," Logan promised as I heard footsteps getting farther and farther away from the bathroom. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, I opened the door a crack to see Logan, a crooked smile on his face. "Can I come in?" he asked softly.

I nodded, opening the door farther as he stepped inside. I locked it again, and returned to my spot under the window. Logan slid down the wall, joining me as I wiped my eyes.

"What's going on? And don't be afraid to tell me _anything_," he said, his deep brown eyes looking deep into mine.

"It all started the first night my mom hit me. I wasn't expecting that OR the self inflicted pain. It just kinda.. happened. I had no intention to do it," I replied, my voice cracking on every word.

"So why did you?" he asked curiously.

I shrugged. "I was already in so much pain emotionally, I hoped that physical pain would take my mind off of my drunk mother."

Logan sighed. He looked extremely upset. "And what about just now? You scared us half to death when you just ran off like that," he admitted.

"I guess it just happens. I get upset and the only way to relieve my sadness is through something sharp to my skin."

"Well you can't just cut your wrists every time you get upset, or else you'd be all out of blood," he said. "You can really hurt yourself.. and other people around you very much."

"But when I was with my mom, it didn't matter. She didn't care if I was even alive or not," I said, feeling tears sting my eyes yet again.

"It's different now. You're not with your mom anymore. You're around people who care. I know James would do _anything_ for his little sister. As for Kendall, Carlos, and I, even after 8 hours, you're starting to grow on us. Well, I don't know about Kendall and Carlos, but you're definitely starting to grow on _me. _There's just something about you that makes me want to be there for you 24/7. But what that something is, I've yet to find out."

And you know now why I only wanted to talk to Logan.

* * *

**Yay? Nay? Personally, i think it's getting a lot better than the boring ol' first chapters. :D. Well i think this is the last chapter for the night. It's almost midnight & i have a massive headache. I love people who review! :)**

**-Natalie **


	9. Chapter Eight

**-Chapter Eight-**

I woke up the next morning, completely clueless as to where the hell I was, until I rolled over in this massive bed to find James sitting at the edge of it. Oh, yeah. I saw the discouraged look on his face and unfortunately remembered every little detail that happened last night. The first day at my new home, and I completely blew it. How could I _be _so stupid?

"Good morning," I said softly, my voice sounding so weak.

"Did you sleep well?" James asked. He kept his head in his hands, not even taking as much as a glance to look over at me.

"Better than I expected," I said. James started to run his fingers through his hair, and I knew he wanted to talk to me seriously. Something was bothering him. "What's the matter?"

"I want to know why last night happened," he begged, finally facing me. His eyes were full of worry and concern & I couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Well," I began, scooting closer to him & wrapping one of the blankets around my shoulders. "I guess everything got to me. Down at the pool, I was remembering the first night mom hit me. I had been keeping all of this bottled up inside me, & I just burst. It's been rough, James. I had no one to go to anymore after you left,"

He sighed as I leaned into his shoulder. "That's why I was so happy you were coming to live with us. I was actually glad that something happened with mom, or else I probably wouldn't ever see you again," He admitted, pulling me closer to him. Stuff like this only happened when he was upset. I screwed up so, so bad. "But then when you were in the bathroom all locked up.. and you wanted to talk to Logan, I was even more upset."

I looked up at him in astonishment. "Wha-"

"_I'm_ your big brother. _I'm _the one who's supposed to be helping you," he whispered.

I continued to look at him, and I thought that he might start to cry. "I get it now," I said. James looked down at me, interested in what I was about to say. "See, I thought that you didn't want me to be talking to Logan because I liked him or something. But it was really only because _you _wanted to help me feel better?"

James sighed. "Weeeellll.." he said playfully. I smacked him & smirked. "Almost," he continued. "I'm your brother, and obviously I'm going to be in your business when it comes to your love life. _Especially_ if it's with one of my best friends,"

I pouted.

"And yes, you're right. I haven't seen you in six months, Livvi. I missed you. & now that you're here, I want to spend time with you. And I want to help you," he said sincerely, pulling me into one of his famous James Diamond hugs.

"I think that has to be about the nicest thing you've said to me since we got here," I said, my face pressed up against his chest. I was pretty sure I looked like a fish, but whatever. "I love you, Jamsie."

"I love you too, Livvi."

Finally. The brother and sister bond that I wanted.

* * *

I was afraid to face the three other boys, but James pushed me out of the room anyway. I had been sitting in my brothers room for the past 2 and a half hours watching TV. I didn't want the guys to think I was some kind of suicidal chick, because that's the _farthest _thing from who I was. I occasionally heard the guys asking James if I was alright, but he continued to tell them that I was sleeping, just what I told him to do.

"Come on," James pushed, pulling me out of bed and into the living room by my wrist.

"No, no, no, no," I resisted, using my free hand to hold onto the wall. James was much stronger, so of course I was dragged into the living room. From there he sat me on the bright orange couch inbetween Logan and Kendall. Wonderful.

"Stay," he ordered, walking into the kitchen to get some breakfast.

"Woof," I barked. Logan and Kendall chuckled unexpectedly.

"It's nice of you to join us," Kendall said, looking at my pajama pants. James hadn't even given me time to get dressed. And I couldn't even _imagine_ what my hair looked like.

"Yeah, we were getting a little worried about you," Logan added.

My eyebrows shot up. "You were?" they nodded.

"Well yeah. It's already 12:30. You've been in that bedroom all morning," Logan said.

"But that was only because I thought you guys were mad at me," I said quietly, twirling a strand of hair through my fingers.

"Why would we be mad at you?" Kendall and Logan chorused.

"Last night," I whispered. "I made a complete fool of myself, and I'm really, really, _really _sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. We understand you've been through hell. And we're here for you if you ever need anything. Hence why you moved out here in the first place," Logan assured me as Kendall nodded in agreement.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Logan Mitchell, the boy who can make **anyone** smile.


	10. Author's Note! ReadReadRead

**Hiii guys. **

**I'm not exactly sure if I should continue with this storrryyy. D:**

**I'm definetely having second thoughts.**

**But it's up to you guys.**

**Should I keep writing this story, or should I just start over? **

**Your opinion _really_ matters. **

**Thank yoooooooou. (:**

**-Natalie**


	11. Chapter Nine

**Well, I suppose i'm continuing with thissss. If it pleases you lovely people, then i'm happy to continue writing. Sorry I haven't updated in howevermanydays. Like I said, I was having second thoughts. Buuuuut, if there's any willing people out there that want to help me with this story, please step forward. ^.^ I'm desperate. **

**I'm gonna stop talking now. :D Here's Chapter Nine: **

* * *

**-Chapter Nine-**

To my surprise, I fell asleep again. I must've been _extremely _tired. My eyes fluttered open, and I blinked a bajillion times until I could finally see where I was. I was sprawled out on the couch, my legs laid across Kendall's lap, and my head in Logan's. Surprise, surprise. I was just _waiting_ for the moment James was going to kill him. But he couldn't, considering it wasn't his fault. None of this was. _I _was flirting with _him. _Logan was doing nothing but being nice.

"What time is it?" Were the first words to leave my voice. I stretched, but didn't move from the spot I was laying in. I was surprisingly comfortable.

"Quarter to four," Logan replied simply, looking down at his watch. I yawned, nodding.

"Are you planning on sleeping the day away?" James asked.

I shook my head. "Nah," I replied groggily. "Just gimmie a few minutes,"

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" Carlos joked, finally making an appearance. I hadn't seen him since very early this morning. I blushed, knowing very much so that I talked in my sleep. And according to James & my mother - before she developed a drinking problem, of course - I occasionally spilled secrets and mostly said downright embarrassing things.

"What did I say," I asked without emotion, terrified of the answer.

"Well, you kicked Kendall a couple of times-"

"Yeah. Thanks for that, by the way," Kendall teased sarcastically, rubbing his legs.

"& Something about smelly cheese, salty dishwater, yellow tongues, and.." Carlos paused, a slight grin appearing on his lips. "Logan."

My eyes grew wide and my cheeks grew very, very warm. Oh dear God. I wished the couch would swallow me up right then and there and never spit me back out.

"Of course I did," I mumbled.

"But that's _all _you said," Logan pointed out. "All you said was my name. And THEN you kicked Kendall,"

I couldn't help but laugh. "As long as it wasn't anything embarrassing," The boys shook their heads. "Then I'm okay."

* * *

"Alright, Liv. Would you rather be trapped in an elevator with three wet dogs, or three fat men with bad breath?" Kendall asked me.

"Three wet dogs," I replied, chowing down on popcorn. "They'd dry eventually,"

James, Carlos, Logan, Kendall and I had been sitting in the living room for the past hour playing 'would you rather.' Mrs. Knight was out shopping, and Kendall's little sister was sleeping over at a friends house. So of course, it was just the boys and I for the next two hours or so. A nasty storm had passed over us not too long ago, knocking out the power and leaving us in the dim light of poorly lit candles. You'd think a fancy hotel much like this would have a generator?

"No fair! You _always _look at the loopholes," James complained. I shrugged and smiled.

"K, Liv. Your turn," Logan said. I dropped the extra popcorn back into the bucket and stared out the window in thought.

I grinned at the nasty thought in my head. "Carlos," I began.

"Oh no," he groaned, knowing he was in for a real shocker.

"Would you rather chew a piece of toenail off a dirty man's foot, or thoroughly lick his un-showered armpit?" I asked. Logan spit out his water, while Kendall and James just laughed hysterically.

Carlos scrunched his face in disgust. "Gross, neither," he said finally.

"Oh come on, Carlitos. You have to pick one!" Kendall commanded, patting his friend on the back.

"But that's just nasty," Carlos protested.

"That's the fun of it," I said. "Because you don't actually have to do it in real life. So just pick one,"

He sighed, playing with the straps that held his precious helmet on his head. "I guess I'd have to go with licking his armpit.." he said quietly, cringing at his words.

The boys and I laughed, watching as Carlos shook his head as if to erase the words off of his tongue.

"I would've picked the toenail," I admitted, still laughing as thunder roared overhead.


End file.
